An electric-powered Audi luxury car brand replaces Honda's Acura in Walt Disney's "Iron Man 3," according to Bloomberg news service. Audi, which is aggressive about product placement in movies, is owned by German automotive giant Volkswagen. The Tony Stark character, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in the "Iron Man" films, will park the Acura supercar he drove last year in … [Read more...] about Audi Car Replaces Acura In Next ‘Iron Man’
Raunchy ‘Ted’ Thrives Online
The marketing campaign for Universal Pictures comedy "Ted" emphasized online, where promotional content could be raunchy and outrageous like the R-rated movie. Traditional media such as TV doesn't allow swear words and overt sexual content, such as this Tweet credited to the teddy bear movie character, "Do I get to have sex with the chick from 'Brave' now?" in a naughty … [Read more...] about Raunchy ‘Ted’ Thrives Online
Movie Soundtracks Make Comeback
Movie companies are once again pushing hard to sell soundtrack albums, which went into severe decline over the past decade along with overall revenue of the music industry. The rise of digital music streaming and downloads again make movie music an attractive licensed merchandise item and music licensing organizations have helped by making more favorable deals with movie … [Read more...] about Movie Soundtracks Make Comeback
Merchandise Surges for ‘Dark Knight’
Warner Bros. unveiled product licensees for "The Dark Knight Rises" with the top-tier merchandise purveyors Mattel, Lego, Hallmark, Kinetex, Rubie’s Costume, Titan books, and Sakar International (electronics). The movie, which reportedly cost $250 million to make, premieres tomorrow. A Warner Bros. Consumer Products press release says that licensed products range “from toys … [Read more...] about Merchandise Surges for ‘Dark Knight’
‘Rock of Ages’ Soars Online, Stumbles at BO
Some movie marketing pros think that I’ve gone daft when I suggest that a movie being a hit in social media doesn't necessarily translate into to being a hit in cinema release. Now a research firm serves up an example. Social media research firm Attensity notes that the movie “Rock of Ages” was embraced by consumers in social media prior to its theatrical release, which … [Read more...] about ‘Rock of Ages’ Soars Online, Stumbles at BO
‘John Carter’ Rattles Disney
Disney’s mega-budget “John Carter” premiered with a disappointing $30 million in opening three-day box office after pushing an arty presentation in early marketing, though the film is not arty. The sci-fi flop -- whose budget reportedly is around $250 million -- likely will trigger a writedown of tens of millions or possibly over $100 million on Disney corporate earnings. … [Read more...] about ‘John Carter’ Rattles Disney
‘Pirates’ Franchise Sells $1.6bn in Merchandise
The four installments of “Pirates of the Caribbean” rolled up $1.6 billion at consumer-spend in global sales of licensed merchandise, says Disney Consumer Products. The fourth edition “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” sets sail on its theatrical voyage theaters May 20. Based on standard licensing rates and Disney’s track record, book “Marketing To Moviegoers” … [Read more...] about ‘Pirates’ Franchise Sells $1.6bn in Merchandise
Sony Sweats ‘Hornet’ Positioning
Update, Jan. 19: “The Green Hornet” was top film for the four-day holiday weekend with $40 million, which was at the low end of the forecasted opening cited in the story below. Overall, box office for the period was down, so the Hornet opening overcame the downward trend. /update “The Green Hornet,” which is a $130 million superhero yarn that opens tomorrow, did not have a … [Read more...] about Sony Sweats ‘Hornet’ Positioning
Fox Uses iTunes to Deliver Awards Films
Update Jan. 16: Paramount and Focus Features later join Fox and Fox Searchlight in offering movie screeners to film awards voters via complimentary iTunes downloads. /update The super-secure iTunes ecological system wins kudos from 20th Century Fox Pictures and Fox Searchlight, which on Friday announced they will make downloads of three prestige movies available to awards … [Read more...] about Fox Uses iTunes to Deliver Awards Films
‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Trailer Dilemma
The trailer for “Cowboys & Aliens” presents a genre-bending film that I found riveting but a New York Times article today examines the marketing challenge to position the film correctly. The movie is a serious and edgy sci-fi yarn about hostile aliens invading the old west of the 1800s, That pushes the normally antagonist earthly cowboys and Indians to unite, and comedy … [Read more...] about ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Trailer Dilemma